President Biden once again made the correct choice for America — now it’s time to rally to defeat Trump

President Joe Biden made the tough call on Sunday. It was, once again, the right decision, one of many he has made since Jan. 20, 2021.

Biden, his health and poll numbers both flagging in recent days, announced he would not accept the Democratic presidential nomination, yielding to increasing calls for him to step down. At his advanced age — he turns 82 in November — it was more and more apparent that he needed to allow a new generation of leaders to emerge as the Democratic standard-bearer.

Biden’s terrible performance in a June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump confirmed the worst fears about Biden. He was slipping, and no longer the sharp, battle-tested candidate who drubbed Trump in 2020.

He said his running mate was his designated successor.

“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Biden said. “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my vice president. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”

Harris was quick to announce her intention to seek the presidential nomination.

“I am honored to have the president’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris (seen above with Biden in a 2023 public domain photo posted on wikimedia commons) said in a statement issued by Biden’s campaign. “Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead.”

Will Harris be the nominee? That was unclear on Sunday.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer seemed to take herself out of the running. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro endorsed Harris, as did Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who ran in 2020.

Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former first lady, senator and secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton think so.

“We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” the Clintons said in a joint statement on X. Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her.”

Former President Barack Obama favors a competition to see who can earn the nomination.

“I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” Obama said. “I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August.”

In South Dakota, Democrats reacted to the news that shook up the race. The last time a Democrat carried the state was 1964, and it’s highly, highly, highly doubtful that streak will end after 60 years. But it was a remarkable development.

Sunday was the birthday of both Sheryl Johnson, the Democratic candidate for South Dakota’s lone congressional seat, and Shane Merrill, the state Democratic Party chairman.

Politics intruded upon their celebrations, as Johnson turned 63 and Merrill marked his 32nd birthday.

“This election never stops amazing me,” Johnson told The South Dakota Standard. “No matter who is in the Oval Office, I will work with them on the issues important to South Dakotans. I am focused on my election campaign against a career politician who is in the pocket of his mega-donors. I’m working hard to win this race so I can carry the voices of South Dakota to Congress.”

Merrill praised Biden for his service.

“The South Dakota Democratic Party thanks President Joe Biden for his strong leadership as our commander in chief. President Biden has done more for our country in just four years than most presidents can accomplish in eight. He is one of the greatest leaders of our lifetime,” he said. “It has been an honor to work alongside his administration to help everyday South Dakotans. We now look ahead to the next steps to elect a new Democratic presidential nominee and the DNC Convention in Chicago next month.”

State Rep. Linda Duba wasn’t celebrating her birthday — it’s Aug. 24 if you want to send a card — but she was congratulating Biden for his long, distinguished career. 

“President Biden has been a tireless public servant for 50-plus years. During his presidency, he focused on people and moving us forward out of a dark time,” Duba said. “Without significant investments and legislation, my state of South Dakota would not have been able to govern. We had record revenue years thanks to ARPA, IIJA, the infrastructure act and so much more. He restored our leadership in the World. He convinced world leaders to go all in with Ukraine. NATO has never been stronger. Thank you, Mr. President. 

“I look forward to supporting the Democratic nominee,” Duba said. “We will fight for a better America and defeat Don Trump.”

She said this reminded her of 1968, when she was a politically aware teen watching President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat, abandon his re-election campaign. LBJ wilted when he was challenged by liberal Sens. Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota and Robert F. Kennedy of New York.

Johnson retired, McCarthy flamed out and RFK, like his older brother John, was assassinated. Democrats chose Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, a South Dakota native who rose to political prominence in Minnesota, as their nominee. HHH lost a close race to Republican Richard Nixon.

Let’s not go down that road again!

Another South Dakota politician couldn’t wait to weigh in on Biden’s withdrawal, although few Democrats cared what she had to say. But Gov. Kristi Noem couldn’t resist an opportunity to grab some attention, bash Biden and praise Trump.

“This is the right decision for our nation. Whoever replaces Biden will support the same radical agenda of open borders, unchecked illegal immigration, and woke values that do not appreciate what America stands for,” Noem said.

“The Democrats’ nominee must answer for runaway inflation, the dismantling of the American Dream, rampant violet crime, and a disastrous and weak foreign policy,” she said. “Donald Trump is the leader America needs to get this country back on the right track. Republicans are unified and will work tirelessly to ensure Donald J. Trump wins in November and Makes America Great Again.”

“Violet” crime? What a colorful piece of spelling.

Someone needs to tell her it’s too late to be named Trump’s running mate, and too early to lobby for a cabinet post. Maybe try to focus on South Dakota, eh governor?

Sen. John Thune, who served with Biden in the Senate and is now vying to be the Republican leader, took a partisan shot on X. Thune, who should know better, confused the name of the opposition party, writing Democrat instead of Democratic. 

“Whether it’s Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, or someone else, it doesn’t matter who’s at the top of the ticket,” he said. “The Democrat Party is synonymous with higher prices, open borders, and global instability. The American people want a change. Republicans will deliver it this November.”

Sen. Mike Rounds resisted the temptation to pile on. He was silent on Sunday.

Rep. Dusty Johnson’s reaction was a bit more respectful while still playing politics.

“President Biden has made the right decision,” Johnson said. “I don’t think the fundamentals of the race will change, though. I suspect anyone who replaces President Biden at the top of the ticket will also have had a hand in his policies driving inflation, the border crisis, and overregulation.”

Meanwhile, the public and media need to shift their focus to the apparent mental confusion and decline of the other old man who wants a second term as president — Trump. He falls asleep in court, stumbles through speeches, confuses names and generally acts like an aging grandpa on the porch.

Duty to Warn, an association of mental health professionals, issued an advisory about Trump this spring.

Dr. Lance Dodes, a supervising analyst emeritus of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and retired Harvard Medical School professor, said he clearly is suffering from a mental decline.

“Unlike normal aging, which is characterized by forgetting names or words, Trump repeatedly shows something very different: confusion about reality,” he wrote.

“If he were to become president he would have to be immediately removed from office via the 25th Amendment as dangerously unable to fulfill the responsibilities of office,” said Dodes, who is also a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, said.

Biden dropped out as concerns about his ability to serve as president were clearly influencing polls. Politico reported that a new poll of Michigan voters shows Trump leading Biden, 49 percent to 42 percent. 

“The EPIC-MRA survey is for the Detroit Free Press, which reports that ‘Trump led in every region of the state, including in metro Detroit,‘ where Biden beat Trump 56 percent-40 percent in 2020,’” the story stated.

Biden didn’t go easily. He had first sought the presidency in 1987, dropping out in a plagiarism scandal before a single vote was cast in the 1988 primary season. He tried again in 2008, but was overwhelmed by the two-person race between Sen. Barack Obama and former first lady and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Obama tapped him as his running mate, ending his long Senate career.

Biden considered a run in 2016, but Obama made it clear he favored Hillary. That, and the death of his son Beau persuaded Biden to pass. That ended up being a disaster for the country, as Clinton ran a horrible campaign and somehow lost to Trump.

Biden, even as he neared 80, became the Democratic nominee in 2020 and performed his greatest service to the nation by defeating Trump by 7 million votes. His term as president has been marked by successes and triumphs.

He will go down in history as one of the greatest one-term presidents.

Biden also will be remembered as the man who realized he needed to step aside and let someone else take on this vital task. Trump must be defeated, he knows.

But it’s up to someone else to do that.

Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states and contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Republish with permission.